What’s the issue?
LPAs are complex legal documents and care must be taken when drafting them to ensure they are completed correctly. The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) will reject any forms that are completed incorrectly or that don’t meet their standards. According to the OPG around 15% of LPA forms submitted to them have errors.
Getting it wrong can be expensive if the mistake isn’t recognised until registration. The registration fee for LPAs is £82 per document. If they are rejected, they must be corrected and re-registered and this costs £41 per document if sent back within 3 months. If the corrected forms are sent back outside of this time limit you will need to pay the full fee again.
If the registration doesn’t take place until after the Donor has lost capacity, then they may be left with no LPA in place at all if a mistake is found. At this point it will be too late to correct the form and resubmit it. This is why it is so important that the forms are completed correctly, and appropriate advice taken if you are unsure about any aspect of the form or how you can put the Donor’s wishes into practice.
22 January 2020
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